Friday, July 20, 2018

“MassCare is concerned about MA State Legislator Conference Committee Policy Proposal on HealthCare”

FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE: July 20th, 2018

Contact:
Jessica Gallo

“MassCare
is concerned about MA State Legislator Conference Committee Policy Proposal on
HealthCare”

BOSTON -
Today, on Beacon Hill the conference committee on healthcare was challenged
by a variety of groups for potentially raising the cost of healthcare to
address the shortfall often experienced by community and rural hospitals.

“The truth is
that rural and community hospitals are operating in a system that puts them at
a constant disadvantage, this policy as currently being articulated does not
address that. If anything, this will cause consolidation due to cost and
increases in the emergency rooms visits of larger hospitals. We need a better
system and better policy, Medicare for all” said, Jessica Gallo, interim
director of Mass-Care.

Mass-Care is
the largest statewide organization in Massachusetts that advocates for
universal healthcare. MassCare has drafted and filed legislation that would
have studied the cost savings of moving to a single payer healthcare delivery
system and the steps to create that system for the Commonwealth.

“Hampden
county, has some of the worst healthcare outcomes in the state. It is
considered one of the worst places in the country to live with asthma and has
the most uninsured people in the state.

Today, the
Senate chair of the Joint Committee on Healthcare Finance, who moved to send a
common-sense policy that would have explored universal healthcare to
effectively die, is now pitting community hospitals against raising premiums on
everyday people in this state, who already pay 31% more for healthcare than the
rest of the US.

The system is
rigged, and we are constantly in these types of challenges because we do not
embrace or even consider progressive policy proposals like universal
healthcare,” said Rivera. Amaad Rivera is running for the Hampden State Senate
seat against Senator James T. Welch on a platform of Universal Healthcare,
environmental protections, and reducing gun violence. MassCare is proud to have
endorsed Rivera in this race.

A Single
Payer healthcare systems or Medicare for all, covers everyone under a single,
publicly financed plan that provides comprehensive healthcare. All developed
nations have some form of universal, publicly financed healthcare, besides the
US.

​

Countries who
have covered their population under single-payer plans have managed to achieve
universal, comprehensive coverage while at the same time actually realizing
enormous savings. Having a single plan for the whole population also means
there aren’t different provider networks for different insurance plans, and
everyone is free to choose the doctors, hospitals, and community health centers
that they use.